Ireland has come a long way from the abject poverty and emigration that prevailed at the foundation of the State a century ago. Our quality of life is now rated the second best in the world by the United Nations. Mark Henry, author of 'In Fact: An Optimist's Guide to Ireland at 100', will spotlight the data that demonstrates the progress we have made. He will highlight how growing our connectivity with the world was a transformative factor in achieving this. And he will argue that if we continue to invest in the factors that account for our success, then we have every reason to be optimistic about our continued progress in the century ahead.